A historic northern Illinois mansion with a view of the site of the first Lincoln-Douglas debate is sprucing up its surroundings.
The Italianate-style Reddick Mansion and Gardens that overlooks Washington Square in Ottawa has been around since 1855.
Lorraine McCallister is the president of the Reddick Mansion Association. She said renovations inside the building started in 2019, but this summer, the focus was on the property outside.
“We have a Victorian mailbox, we have an armillary sundial, we have a statue of Cupid in one corner,” she added. “Cupids were very popular during the Victorian era.”
McCallister said the family of past president Esther Funk donated $3,000 to help with the updated grounds.
She said renovations for the inside of the building took 18 months.
“And the work started at the roofline with the restoration of the cornice work,” she said, “the elaborate cornice work that is found on Italianate style homes.”
She said the outside updates include new bushes, trees and plants.
McCallister said the renovations have brought the mansion back to life and many people use the grounds as a backdrop for photography.
Future projects for the building include installing air conditioning and updating certain rooms.
In additional to public tours, the attraction will offer a scavenger hunt event in August and the storytelling in October. Exact dates and times can be found at the mansion’swebsite.
- Yvonne Boose is a current corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Project. It's a national service program that places talented journalists in local newsrooms like WNIJ. You can learn more about Report for America at wnij.org.
